Two goals, two assists and a plus-five rating. It was also just an extension of what we’ve seen from Evans since the puck dropped in October. Of course, it’s no coincidence that he’s playing the best hockey of his career at age 28, with 301 NHL games under his belt and his role finally mastered.
Considering that, you’d think Evans’ phone would have rung by now, with his current contract expiring at the end of June and his value to the Canadiens so glaringly obvious to anyone watching.
“It’s still crickets,” Evans said after his second-star performance on Saturday helped the Canadiens defeat the Detroit Purple Wings for the second time in as many nights.
We don’t think he needs to worry.
Sure, the Canadiens are happy that Oliver Kapanen is developing into a capable right-handed centre overseas after getting his first taste of the NHL last fall. And they must be thrilled that Owen Beck is behind the scenes, flying quickly through his first pro season in Laval.
Scouts say the 20-year-old, who has seven goals, 21 points and a +10 rating in 27 games, is as detailed as you can get for a player his age. “He picked up pro habits all over the ice,” one told us last week, reminding us of what we used to hear about Evans when he plied his trade in the AHL.
But the NHL is an astronomical leap from the AHL — a leap that typically takes years before everything falls into place — and surely the Canadiens know that as well as Evans does.
He didn’t jump to the NHL at age 23 and immediately prove himself a supreme fourth-line centre for the Canadiens. He’s been a steady build since arriving during the 2019-20 season, and he says the blocks only felt fully cemented early last year.
“You start to understand your role and where you’re going to fit and where you’re going to bring value to a team,” Evans said after Saturday’s 5-1 win. “Sometimes it takes guys half a season, but for me, going up and down the lineup, you don’t really know what kind of player you’re supposed to be, and now I feel like I’ve finally found that.”
It can’t be something the Canadiens would want to lose, even with the impending arrival of Kapanen and Beck.
Of course, Evans has seven goals and 19 points in 33 games, is on pace to break career highs in both categories, is playing 19 more seconds per game on a shortstop than any other forward in the NHL, is a defensive stalwart at five-on-five, and is increasing his market value by the second.
We don’t think that’s necessarily problematic for the Canadiens, but it’s hard to consider it paramount for them when they have $6.5 million committed to Brendan Gallagher and $5.5 million to be in the bottom six for two more seasons after this one.
But those two, who combined on the last goal the Canadiens scored Saturday, have been part of a group of good veterans currently pushing the team’s young core through its most important development phase.
“What they’re doing is very contagious,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “They’re bringing everybody in and it hasn’t been like one night here or one night there. It’s been very consistent — their commitment, their effort, the purpose with which they play on the ice. It’s helping the young guys see that.”
It also keeps the younger guys isolated, which is critical for a team to be able to go from rebuilding to winning in the time it’s supposed to take.
Without the right veterans, you get what you see in Buffalo, where the Sabres are spiraling downward once again and almost guaranteeing themselves a 14th straight playoff failure.
The Canadiens, who are only in the third year of their rebuild, feel they have the right ones. Justifiably so.
St. Louis bragged about his commitment after Saturday’s game, calling his inclusion on the roster “huge.”
His bosses surely see the value in his presence; otherwise, they wouldn’t have landed another of his kind earlier this week.
On Wednesday, they traded for 28-year-old Alex Service. He makes $3.75 million per season over the two seasons following this one, but they figure that’s also worth the price for what he brings to help stabilize their back end.
It’s already paying off, with Service immediately serving as one of three veterans isolating young defensemen Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj. He even added icing to the cake, scoring his first point in a Canadiens uniform on Saturday.
Evans’ goal was his 111th in blue, white and red, and that’s just gravy on top of the meat and potatoes he brings every night.
“Jake brings a sense of calm to the ice,” St. Louis said. “When he’s on the ice against other teams’ best lines, or he’s on the penalty kill, you know he’s always going to get the job done. He’s going to have a bad bounce from time to time, just like everyone else, but he’s always there to get the job done.”
The Canadiens should want Evans to continue doing that for at least a few more years.
Today’s NHL may be full of opportunities for young players, but Evans’ role is best filled by a veteran — and not just on an up-and-coming team, but one hoping to become a perennial contender.
As St. Louis said before Saturday’s game: “I think it’s hard for a young player to come in and kill penalties right away, winning important faceoffs in the D-zone.”
“I think the type of role he has now builds over time,” he added. “He’s done that and he’s added an offensive side to his game in addition to the role he was really counted on for.”
He’s been there since the start of the season and played a big role in Montreal finally getting wins.
That should lead the Canadiens to start talking to Evans about his future before long, because his value to them is undeniable and their window to deal exclusively with him won’t be open for much longer.